Beasley (they/them) (Debut) is a multi-hyphenate theatre artist from Friendswood, Texas. Regional credits include: Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati: Dario (The Dancing Princesses), OK Shakespeare in the Park: Starveling/Moon (A Midsummer Night’s Dream); University credits include: #25 (The Wolves), Esther (Intimate Apparel), Lee (The Gap), Angel (Marisol). They are excited to be sharing their art with Cincinnati audiences. They are forever grateful to their parents, family, and friends. 

Jason Coffenberry (he/him) (debut) is excited to join the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company for this production! Jason is a recent graduate of Northern Kentucky University and has been in productions of The Elephant Man, Twelfth Night, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, The Aliens, and Three Sisters. He has also appeared at Cincinnati Actor’s Studio & Academy in Spring Awakening and Cabaret. He wants to thank all of the family, friends, mentors, and teachers who have helped him along the way. 

Christian Hall (he/him) (2 Seasons) is a proud music and theatre graduate from Xavier University (class of 2019). This will be his second time working with CSC as he just finished working with the Spring Educational Tour. Christian was an acting apprentice at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati for the 2021-2022 season where he worked on and offstage. He would like to thank his friends, family, and his late father for their continuous support.

Natalie Hayslett (she/they) (debut) is very excited to join Cincinnati Shakespeare Company in their summer tour! Natalie is a recent graduate of Northern Kentucky University, where you could have seen her in Twelfth Night, Noises Off, and Peter and the Starcatcher. She would like to thank all of her loved ones, friends, and teachers for helping her. They are always there, cheering her on as she juggles life as an actress. She couldn't have done it without them.

Elizabeth Chinn Molloy (she/her) (2 Seasons) is grateful for the opportunity to return to the CSC stage. She made her CSC debut in last season’s Summer Parks Tour production of Twelfth Night (Viola), followed by her Mainstage debut in Little Women (Jo). Elizabeth has worked with numerous theatres throughout the Greater Cincinnati area including the Know Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Concert: Nova, MadCap Puppets, New Edgecliff Theatre, and Falcon Theatre. She is a Cincinnati native and a proud graduate of Smith College. As always, she would like to thank her friends and family for their continuous support and encouragement.

Dani Grace Nissen (she/her) (debut) is thrilled to join this amazing ensemble of actors for her debut with CSC back in her hometown. She graduated this past spring from Wright State University with her Acting BFA. She was just seen in the parks of Indiana, performing with Hoosier Shakespeare Festival in Measure for Measure and The Comedy of Errors. Dani is an avid reader and poet who loves to bring those words and stories to life onstage. She is known as a true Shakespearean nerd with a passion for stage combat, Jane Austen, and ice cream. She sends all her love and thanks to her wonderful family and friends for their endless support and hugs. 

Matthew Johnson (Debut) is a recent graduate of Wright State University. He has worked regionally at Short North Stage in Columbus and is excited to join the Cincinnati community in his first production with CSC. His recent Wright State credits include The Laramie Project, The Mousetrap, Hand to God, Sweet Charity, Circle Mirror Transformation, The Addams Family, Emerging Choreographer’s Concert 2023, and The Aliens.

Sarah Summerwell (she/her) (2 Seasons) is excited to join CSC onstage this summer! She has previously worked with the company as the Dialect Coach for Rewards of Being Frank and as the Assistant Director/Intimacy Coordinator for As You Like It. Favorite regional credits include Hermione in The Winter's Tale (Richmond Shakespeare Festival), Morticia in The Addams Family at Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre (VA), and Hesperides/Ensemble in Ellen McLaughlin's modern adaptation of Pericles at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater. Sarah graduated with an MFA in Acting from Wayne State University (Detroit) and loves teaching at the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music during the academic year. 

Jordan Whittaker* (he/him) (debut)  is so excited to serve as an understudy for his first production with CSC this summer. Jordan is a local actor that recently graduated from Northern Kentucky University with a BFA in Musical Theatre and a BA in Public Relations. You may recognize him from Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s productions of Mr. and Mrs. Fezziwig’s Holiday Party and Ersatz Express. He has also appeared in Northern Kentucky University’s productions of Twelfth Night, Jekyll and Hyde, New Year’s Eve at the Stop N Go, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and Three Sisters. He dedicates his performance to his family back home in Eastern Kentucky. 

Justin McCombs* (he/him) (17 Seasons) joined the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company in 2006. Having worked on over 100 productions for CSC. During that time, he has been an Actor; Resident Stage Manager; Company Manager; Touring Company Member; Groundlings, Groundlings Jr., and Summer Camp Instructor, and now he is excited to add Director to his list of roles with the company. Justin is also the co-creator of “Mr. Myth and the Breakfast of Champions”, a storytelling based interactive game show for kids. He is a proud resident of Kennedy Heights where he lives with his wife, local actor and playwright Maggie Lou Rader and their three hilarious pets. He sends special thanks to his parents and to the audience for supporting the arts in Cincinnati.

Samantha Reno (she/her) (3 Seasons) is excited to be heading into another season at CSC! Recent favorite designs include "Romeo and Juliet," "Hamlet," "Comedy of Errors," and "Living Dead." In the last year, she has also enjoyed working with the Cincinnati Opera ("Fierce"), the Cincinnati Ballet (Bold Moves Festival), Northern Kentucky University ("Noises Off"), and B Street Theatre in Sacramento, California. The most gratitude and joy to her wonderful, supportive husband and two amazing kids!

Rainy Edwards (she/her) (5 Seasons) is from Llano, Texas, and received her MFA in Costume Design at Florida State University. She has been with the company since 2018. Rainy has had the pleasure of designing many shows here including, The Winter’s Tale, Titus Andronicus, The Merry Wives of Windsor, and All The Way, to name a few. Her work has been seen at Utah Shakespeare Festival, The Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, Triad Stage, and Lexington Children’s Theatre. Rainey is excited to be back and making art with her colleagues and friends. She is forever thankful for the support of Chris and their dog Obi.

Robert Carlton Stimmel (he/him) (5 Seasons) is thrilled to be returning to Cincinnati Shakespeare Company! He is a Cincinnati area native, hailing from Fairfield, Ohio. After receiving his BA in Theatre at Miami University, he has worked with various theatre including Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Alliance Theatre, Short North Stage, and Tantrum Theatre. In addition to his technician and design work, he is also a performer and producer and is always looking to expand his artistic abilities! Robert is the Artistic Director of Impaired Vision Productions, a local theatre organization that produces new works. He would like to thank his wife Kayla for her constant support of his artistic aspirations and her unconditional love.

Kara Eble Trusty (she/her) (4 Seasons) is delighted to be returning to make art with CSC for a second season. A Cincinnati native, she saw her first CSC production at 12 and is amazed that she gets to collaborate with some of the same people that inspired her love of theatre and art at a young age. Kara has worked locally with the Know Theatre of Cincinnati, The Carnegie, and the Clarence Brown Theatre in Knoxville, Tennessee. She would like to thank her friends and family, especially her parents Bob and Sue, for their love, support, and encouragement as she continues down this incredible and irrational artistic path.

Kate Stark (she/her) (2 Seasons) is thrilled to be working with CSC again, after appearing as a courtesan in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Kate is a performer, choreographer, and arts administrator based out of Cincinnati, Ohio. She teaches students of all ages and abilities through the Cincinnati Ballet’s CB Moves program, for which she also serves as CB Moves Coordinator. When not on stage, Kate enjoys snuggling her pups Tallulah and Mookie, renovating a vintage Airstream trailer with her husband Keith, and playing board games with her stepson.

Gina Cerimele-Mechley (she/her) (28 Seasons) a Cincinnati native, Gina has been involved with CSC since its inception as Fahrenheit Theatre Company. She played the Nurse in their very first production of Romeo and Juliet in 1996. Getting cast in the role again specifically with CSC is a dream come true.  Gina is a 30 year member and one of the few female Certified Teachers with the Society of American Fight Directors. Gina runs the nationally recognized Cincinnati Actor’s Studio & Academy, and she was the first recipient of the CAA’s Arts Educator Award.  Some of her favorite regional credits outside of Cincinnati include Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Denver Center Theatre Company, and Opera Theatre St. Louis.

Brian Isaac Phillips* (Producing Artistic Director and Ensemble, 23nd Season) has been leading the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company since 2003.  During his tenure, Mr. Phillips has guided the organization to artistic and financial success, including the opening of The Otto M. Budig Theater, a $17.5MM world-class facility at the corner of 12th and Elm Streets in OTR, as well as the completion of Shakespeare's 38 play canon, making Cincinnati Shakespeare Company one of the first five theatres in the United States to accomplish this milestone.

Mr. Phillips, originally from Pittsburgh, PA, is a graduate of Morehead State University and has been a resident of Cincinnati for over two decades.  In that time he has collaborated with virtually every arts organization in the region.  He is a proud member of Actor’s Equity Association and the Stage Director’s and Choreographer’s Society.

In 2020, Mr. Phillips was awarded the international Shakespeare Theatre Association's prestigious Sidney Berger Award for excellence in artistic direction and was also named as one of Cincinnati Magazine's 300 Most Powerful Business Leaders. Mr. Phillips was nominated in 2019 and 2016 for the SDCF Zelda Fichandler Award for outstanding artistic contribution to our region. Mr. Phillips was recognized by both Mayor John Cranley and Mayor Mark Mallory for service at CSC and to the city of Cincinnati. He was also selected for the 2014 Class of Forty Under Forty and a has been nominated for the Ohio Governors’ Arts Awards. In 2016, Mr. Phillips graduated from Cincinnati USA Chamber’s 39th Class of Leadership Cincinnati and is now happy to serve on one of the steering committees.  Also in 2016, Mr. Phillips was selected as a finalist for the Business Courier’s 2016 C-Suite Awards for Chief Executive Officer.

Most recent CSC directing credits include All the Way, The Merry Wives of Windsor, August: Osage County, 1984, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Dracula, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Tempest (Co-Director), The Elephant Man, Antony and Cleopatra, Death of a Salesman, Cyrano de Bergerac, One Man, Two Guvnors, Waiting for Godot, The Birds, and The Great Gatsby.

Brian is the lucky husband of one of the most amazing actors in town and the proud father of Holden and Annabel.